Broken-ish

Roman Braly, Christopher Bennett
  • 5.0 (3)
  • Mental Health

We’re explorers. Broken-ish is a podcast about exploring the mess of being human - broken systems, messy relationships, divided communities - and the people building something better out of it. Each week, in 30 minutes or less, we sit down with voices who’ve lived the chaos, challenged the status quo, and are creating change from the ground up. Hard truths, real conversations, and sparks of possibility from a world that’s a little… Broken-ish.

  1. Put up or Shut up

    Jun 18

    Put up or Shut up

    What happens when you spend years building trust, creating hope, and preparing to deliver something your community desperately needs... only to hit a roadblock you never saw coming? In this episode of Inside Ava Health, Roman Braly and Christopher Bennett pull back the curtain on one of the most challenging chapters in Ava Health's journey so far. After years of building relationships across Mesa County and the Western Slope, the vision was working. People were calling. Referrals were coming in. The community was ready. Then, just days before opening, everything got more complicated. This conversation is about accountability, transparency, trust, and what it means to keep showing up when things don't go according to plan. The promise hasn't changed. The mission hasn't changed. The timeline just got a little longer. Because in the end, trust isn't built through words. It's built through delivery. #InsideAvaHealth #MentalHealth #BehavioralHealth #Recovery #WesternSlope #MesaCounty #Leadership #CommunityImpact #Healthcare #AddictionRecovery

    30 min
  2. Don’t Trust a Therapist Who Doesn’t Go to Therapy

    Jun 3

    Don’t Trust a Therapist Who Doesn’t Go to Therapy

    In this episode of Brokenish, we sit down with a clinician who was helping people recover from addiction… while quietly struggling with his own. This is the reality most people never see. We talk about: What it actually feels like to be a “wounded healer”The pressure of helping others while falling apart internallyWhy some therapists shouldn’t be practicingThe truth about masking, people-pleasing, and childhood traumaAddiction as a way to disappearAnd what it really takes to come back and reappearOne of the most powerful moments in this episode: “I used heroin because it worked the fastest… I just wanted to disappear.” If you’ve ever struggled, felt like you had to hide who you are, or wondered if the people helping you actually understand… this conversation will hit. Recovery isn’t about perfection. It’s about honesty. — If you or someone you love is struggling with mental health or addiction, you’re not alone.

    40 min
  3. Trust Beats Marketing

    May 20

    Trust Beats Marketing

    What if everything you’ve been told about marketing in behavioral health is wrong? In this episode of Inside Ava Health, we break down how we launched a treatment program in a community that didn’t trust providers… without relying on ads, big budgets, or traditional marketing strategies. No Google campaigns. No massive ad spend. No shortcuts. Instead, we focused on something most organizations ignore: real community engagement and trust. And the results speak for themselves: • 168 qualified referrals in the first 90 days • 47 employees hired with no hiring struggles • Near-perfect early retention • Clients and staff who felt connected before ever walking through the door This episode dives into: Why “marketing” in behavioral health is brokenHow authenticity and content outperform paid adsThe power of embedding into a community before openingBuilding trust with both clients and employees at the same timeWhy most treatment centers feel “beige” and how to stand outIf you’re in behavioral health, business, or building anything that requires trust… this conversation will change how you think about growth. This isn’t theory. This is what actually worked. 🎙️ Inside Ava Health is a behind-the-scenes look at building one of the most innovative behavioral health programs in the country. Subscribe for real conversations on mental health, addiction, recovery, and what it actually takes to build something that works.

    30 min
  4. He Used to Glorify Addiction… Now He Promotes Sobriety

    May 13

    He Used to Glorify Addiction… Now He Promotes Sobriety

    “I went hard for a life that destroyed… now I go hard for a life that creates.” This episode of Broken-ish is raw, unfiltered, and real. Hectik shares his story of growing up surrounded by addiction, getting his first charge at just 8 years old, and spending 17 years behind bars. What started as something that looked “cool” quickly turned into a cycle of destruction, prison, and losing the people who mattered most. But this isn’t just a story about addiction. It’s a story about choice. About rock bottom. About what happens when you finally ask yourself… “what do I actually want?” Now 5 years sober, Hectik is using music, events, and community to normalize sobriety and prove that life after addiction isn’t just possible… it can be powerful. In this episode, we talk about: How addiction gets normalized earlyThe truth about “rock bottom” (and why it’s different for everyone)Losing family, identity, and self-worthThe moment everything finally changedBuilding a life rooted in purpose, not destructionWhy connection is the cureIf you or someone you love is struggling, this conversation could change everything. 👇 Drop a comment: What did YOU take away from this episode? — 🎙️ Broken-ish Podcast Real stories. Real recovery. Real people. #addictionrecovery #sobriety #mentalhealth #recoveryjourney #podcast #brokenish #soberlife #addiction #healing #recoveryispossible

    33 min
  5. More Honest Than Therapy? Inside the Barber Chair Confessions

    May 6

    More Honest Than Therapy? Inside the Barber Chair Confessions

    Most people aren’t fully honest. Not with their family. Not with their therapist. But put someone in a barber chair… and something changes. In this episode of Broken-ish, we sit down with a barber who believes he’s saving lives one haircut at a time and he might not be wrong. From everyday clients quietly carrying pain… to cutting hair for the unhoused and restoring dignity… to deep conversations about mental health, purpose, and what it really means to live… This conversation goes way deeper than you’d expect. What starts as a haircut often turns into something else entirely: Truth. Vulnerability. Healing. 💬 In this episode, we explore: Why people open up more in a barber chair than therapy The hidden humanity inside “counterculture” communities The biggest misconception about homelessness What dignity actually looks like in real life How small moments can change someone’s entire trajectory The difference between being alive… and actually living There’s a moment in this conversation where he says something simple but heavy: 👉 “The biggest disservice anyone can do to themselves is to give up.” That idea alone might stick with you. If you’ve ever felt misunderstood, stuck, or like you’re just going through the motions… this episode will hit. 🎙️ Broken-ish is about real conversations with real people navigating mental health, addiction, identity, and what it means to rebuild. 👇 If this resonated with you: Like, subscribe, and share this with someone who needs it. Because sometimes… healing doesn’t happen in a therapist’s office. Sometimes it happens in a barber chair.

    38 min
  6. Charged with Murder : Prison to Purpose

    Apr 29

    Charged with Murder : Prison to Purpose

    What if the person you’d write off… became the person who saves others? In this episode of Broken-ish, we sit down with a woman who spent 13 years in prison for a crime she didn’t physically commit… after a life shaped by addiction, people-pleasing, and one decision that changed everything. She was: A high-performing athlete Using meth in high school Running with the wrong crowd Charged with murder under the felony rule Pregnant… and on the run Then everything collapsed. Prison. Homelessness. Losing control. But what happened next is the part nobody expects. Today, she works on criminal defense teams across Colorado, advocating for people still stuck in the system she survived. She’s been on both sides of the bars… and now she walks people out. This is not just a story about addiction or prison. It’s about identity. It’s about redemption. And it’s about the moment everything changes. 💥 If you’ve ever thought someone was too far gone… watch this. ⏱️ WHAT YOU’LL HEAR: Starting meth in 9th grade just to stay “perfect” The night that led to a murder charge… without being there What 13 years in prison actually does to you The hidden addiction nobody talks about: approval Hitting rock bottom… again… after prison The moment she refused to lose her kids How she rebuilt her life from nothing What it’s like to walk back into prison… as the one helping 🧠 WHY THIS MATTERS We pass people every day and assume they’ll never change. This episode proves how wrong that assumption can be. 🔔 SUBSCRIBE for more real conversations about mental health, addiction, and recovery that actually tell the truth. ⏱️

    32 min
  7. Forgiving the Man Who Killed My Sister

    Apr 15

    Forgiving the Man Who Killed My Sister

    What does it actually take to forgive someone who took everything from you? In this episode of Brokenish, we sit down for a raw and honest conversation about grief, anger, and the kind of forgiveness most people believe is impossible. After losing her sister in a tragic accident, today’s guest carried years of hatred toward the man responsible. The pain was overwhelming. The anger was real. And for a long time, forgiveness felt completely out of reach. At the same time, Roman shares his own story growing up in foster care, carrying deep resentment from abuse, and how holding onto that anger nearly destroyed his life. This episode isn’t about pretending everything is okay. It’s about the truth most people avoid: Forgiveness isn’t about them. It’s about setting yourself free. Inside this conversation: • What grief and anger actually feel like after loss • The moment hate turns into something dangerous • Why forgiveness has nothing to do with the other person • The difference between forgiving and forgetting • How letting go can literally save your life If you’ve ever struggled to forgive someone… or yourself… this episode is for you. 🎧 Subscribe for more real conversations about mental health, addiction, and recovery. #forgiveness #grief #healing #mentalhealth #addictionrecovery #trauma #selfgrowth

    37 min
  8. Hope is NOT a Business Strategy. Inside Ava Health's Hardest Moment

    Apr 14

    Hope is NOT a Business Strategy. Inside Ava Health's Hardest Moment

    This episode is different. Nine days before opening our doors, the largest payer in our community paused providers. Everything we built for over two years… gone overnight. Most programs would panic. Some would blame. Others would quietly fail. We did something different. In this episode of Inside Ava Health, we take you behind the scenes of one of the hardest moments we’ve faced and how it forced us to: Rethink our entire strategy in real time Get out of the “ivory tower” and onto the front lines with staff and clients Build tighter systems, better care, and stronger culture Turn a near-disaster into one of our biggest advantages You’ll hear how we: Sit down with clients over dinner and ask what’s actually broken Close the feedback loop instead of ignoring it Lead without blame, even when everything goes wrong Plan for worst-case scenarios instead of relying on hope This is what it really looks like to build a behavioral health company from the ground up. No fluff. No corporate spin. Just the truth. If you care about addiction treatment, mental health, or building something meaningful in a broken system… this episode is for you. 📍 Ava Health is building a new model for behavioral health care 📞 If you or someone you love needs help, reach out to our team Subscribe for more behind-the-scenes episodes as we build Ava Health in real time.

    26 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

We’re explorers. Broken-ish is a podcast about exploring the mess of being human - broken systems, messy relationships, divided communities - and the people building something better out of it. Each week, in 30 minutes or less, we sit down with voices who’ve lived the chaos, challenged the status quo, and are creating change from the ground up. Hard truths, real conversations, and sparks of possibility from a world that’s a little… Broken-ish.

Information

  • Creator
    Roman Braly, Christopher Bennett
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    33
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Broken-ish , Ava Health 2025
  • Show Website
    Broken-ish